Table of contents

Magnetron plasma processes involving metal atoms and clusters are reviewed. The formation of metal atoms near the cathode and their nucleation in a buffer gas flow are discussed. The flow of a buffer gas with metal clusters through a magnetron chamber disturbs the equilibrium between the buffer gas flow and clusters near the exit orifice and is accompanied by cluster attachment to the chamber walls. Cluster charging far off the cathode, the disturbance of equilibrium between the buffer gas flow and cluster drift, and the attachment of charged clusters to the chamber walls — the factors determining the output parameters of the cluster beam escaping the magnetron chamber — are analyzed. Cluster deposition on a solid surface and on dusty plasma particles is considered.

The importance of nonsynchronous (nonresonant) forces is demonstrated using the interaction of electron flows with regular and irregular electrodynamic structures as an example. These forces lead to cumulative 'nonsynchronous-interaction' effects, which manifest themselves both without and in the presence of synchronous (resonant) interaction.

The metabolic component of refractivity is considered as an example of a quantifying parameter for the 'vitality' of cells and organelles. It is shown that intracellular processes can be studied by the dynamic phase microscopy method, which provides real-time information in the form of local changes in the optical path difference. Preliminary results demonstrate the possibility of localizing a 'signal' and obtaining information under the signal – structure – function scheme and show prospects for conducting a 'dialogue' with a cell by real-time registering the way in which it responds to changes in external conditions. The mechanism underlying the dependence of refractivity on metabolic states is explained by the contribution of bound water molecules.

A joint scientific session of the Physical Sciences Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and Research Council of the P N Lebedev Physical Institute, RAS honoring the 90th birthday of Academician V L Ginzburg was held in the Conference Hall of the P N Lebedev Physical Institute, RAS on 4 October 2006. The following reports were presented at the session:

(1) Gurevich A V (P N Lebedev Physical Institute, RAS, Moscow) "Nonlinear effects in the ionosphere"; (2) Kardashev N S (P N Lebedev Physical Institute, RAS, Moscow) "The radio Universe"; (3) Ptuskin V S (Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radiowave Propagation, RAS, Troitsk, Moscow region) "On the origin of galactic cosmic rays"; (4) Maksimov E G (P N Lebedev Physical Institute, RAS, Moscow) "What is known and what is unknown about HTSCs"; (5) Belyavsky V I, Kopaev Yu V (P N Lebedev Physical Institute, RAS, Moscow) "Ginzburg — Landau equations for high-temperature superconductors"; (6) Tsytovich V N (A M Prokhorov Institute of General Physics, RAS, Moscow) "Polarization effects in a medium: from Vavilov — Cherenkov radiation and transition radiation to dust-particle pairing, or the development of one of V L Ginzburg's ideas from 1940 to 2006".

Extended reports Nos 1 and 4 in the form of reviews will be published in subsequent issues of Physics — Uspekhi. An abridge version of the other four papers is given below. • The radio Universe, N S Kardashev Physics-Uspekhi, 2007, Volume 50, Number 5, • On the origin of galactic cosmic rays, V S Ptuskin Physics-Uspekhi, 2007, Volume 50, Number 5, • Ginzburg – Landau equations for high-temperature superconductors, V I Belyavsky, Yu V Kopaev Physics-Uspekhi, 2007, Volume 50, Number 5, • Polarization effects in a medium: from Vavilov – Cherenkov radiation and transition radiation to dust-particle pairing, or the development of one of V L Ginzburg's ideas from 1940 to 2006, V N Tsytovich Physics-Uspekhi, 2007, Volume 50, Number 5,

Arguments are advanced against a recently proposed scheme for producing excitations with the fractional charge 1/2 in liquid helium.